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There’s nothing else like it. Durable, quick, willing to please, it is the king of the American West. Starting from a mixed foundation, it developed into a determined and reliable breed, a force to be reckoned with, excelling at almost anything put in front of it. From breaking new frontiers to performing dressage, the American Quarter Horse has proven its right to the title as the very best, earning the status of number one in the world.

Virtually everyone has heard about, or seen, an American Quarter Horse. It is most familiar in mounted events at rodeos, working on ranches, or being ridden in Western movies. Its reputation for quick speed, agility, trainability, and cow sense has solidly established it among professionals and amateurs alike. It has the widest range of devoted fans and the largest single-breed equine registry in the world.

History

The American Quarter Horse is the first breed of horse native to what is now the United States. Former American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) President J. D. Blondin wrote, “Since colonial Williamsburg, the American Quarter Horse has served as an icon of the American West. It has secured a place in history as the versatile breed of choice for early Americans who pioneered across this great nation and settled into untamed land. It greatly benefited those who owned it then and it remains just as popular today.”

The history of the Quarter Horse began when early Spanish explorers first brought their horses to Florida. Later, in the 1600s, other various breeds were brought to the English colonies. A distinct strain resulted from crossing the Spanish horses with the colonists’ English breeding stock, which was recorded as early as 1611.

By the time the American Revolutionary War began, the colonists had grown greatly attached to horse racing. In colonial Virginia and the Carolinas, riding horses evolved to fill the colonists’ passion for short-distance racing. Their horses gained fame for running in quarter-mile races, a favorite pastime of the colonists. An unsown field or thoroughfare served as a racetrack (which probably accounts for the evolution of dirt racetracks in America). One-on-one match races were run down village streets, country lanes, and level pastures.

The first recorded American Quarter Horse races were held at Enrico County (now Henrico County), Virginia, in 1674. Reports from that time show that by 1690, substantial purses were being offered at races, proving their popularity. Racing was a serious sport, and it was not uncommon for large plantations to change hands on the outcome of one of those sprints.

The heavily muscled, compact horses could run short distances over a straightaway faster than any other. Thoroughbred stock of similar conformation from England was then introduced, and later during westward expansion, wild mustang broodmares of the American frontier were added to the gene pool. This produced a distinct strain of horses with its own unique conformation, athletic ability, and wonderful disposition.

Word about the versatile new horses soon spread across the country, as respect and appreciation for them grew. Their inherent agility and disposition proved to be ideally suited for both recreation and work on developing western frontiers. They still plowed fields and served as saddle horses, but as westward expansion grew, so did their uses. They explored vast woodlands, broke sod for new farms, and drove cattle up the trails from Texas. This latter duty gained them the greatest fame – that of being natural cow horses.

These horses did not have an official breed name at that time, but the fastest in racing were the first to be recorded as “Celebrated American Quarter Running Horses.” Prior to 1940, American Quarter Horses were commonly known as Steeldusts, after a famous quarter-mile racing stallion of the century, or less frequently as Billys, after a horse sired by Shiloh that was out of a daughter of Steeldust. Over the years, there were different variations of names. Collectively they were called Quarter Horses by a group of horsemen and ranchers from the southwestern United States who became dedicated to preserving the pedigrees. These ranch horses were selectively bred for both speed in quarter-mile races and cow sense on the open range.

William Anson was the first person to try to define the Quarter Horse as a distinct breed. Anson was from England, but came to the United States when he was twenty-one and established a ranch near Christoval, Texas. He published the first information that linked the Quarter Horse to its colonial beginnings. Horse shows began to appear where horsemen brought their Quarter Horses to be judged. Anson sponsored and judged this type of show in 1908 at the Northside Coliseum in conjunction with the Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show.

Early Quarter Horse Breeding

In the early 1900s, Richard M. Kleberg Sr., Robert J. Kleberg Jr., and Caesar Kleberg began developing a superior ranch horse type that had speed, athletic ability, intelligence, and cow sense. In 1916, they intensified that effort after they purchased a yearling colt from famed American Quarter Horse breeder George Clegg. They found this horse not only possessed all of the desired traits, but more importantly, he also could pass them on to future generations. This stallion, later named Old Sorrel, became the founding sire for the King Ranch American Quarter Horses.

Old Sorrel was sired by Hickory Bill, whose sire was Peter McCue. Old Sorrel went on to sire many great stallions, including Little Richard and Tomate Laurels, which were designated AQHA foundation sires based on desirable American Quarter Horse qualities. Old Sorrel also sired other foundation stallions, such as Solis, Macanudo, and Hired Hand. Solis went on to sire Wimpy, the stallion that was later named Grand Champion at the 1941 Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show and given the number “1” in the registry of the newly formed American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). Old Sorrel and his grandson, Wimpy, stand out as two important foundation sires, not only for the King Ranch type, but for the Quarter Horse breed in general.

Peter McCue was another foundation stallion and one of the greatest sires of the American Quarter Horse breed. Sired by Dan Tucker out of Nora M. he was foaled at Samuel Watkins’ Little Grove Stock Farm in 1895. The 16-hand bay horse had tremendous speed, so Watkins often raced him.

As a sire, Peter McCue was legendary, stamping offspring with his speed and physical characteristics of the early American Quarter Horse breed. His influence as a sire spread west when he was purchased by breeders in Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado. He sired Chief and Sheik, American Quarter Horse foundation sires, as well as Harmon Baker, Badger, and Hickory Bill, the great grand sire of Wimpy. Peter McCue died in 1923 at age twenty-eight.

American Quarter Horses Today

Throughout its history, the breed has also been known for its calm disposition and cow sense, or the ability to outmaneuver cattle. Today, the heavy muscling and sprinter’s speed remain characteristic traits, but horses within the breed have been bred to specialize in particular events. There are American Quarter Horses competing in every discipline imaginable, from traditional rodeo events such as roping and barrel racing, to the refined English classes of dressage and show jumping. They compete in horse shows around the world.

American Quarter Horses have always been appreciated for their racing ability, ranch work, and rodeo activities, among many other attributes, yet the number one interest of their owners remains riding “America’s Horse” for recreation.

Standards

Of course, beyond its appearance, a registered American Quarter Horse foal is the product of a registered American Quarter Horse dam and sire. The American Quarter Horse is characterized by a short, broad head topped by small, active ears, large eyes set wide apart, sensitive nostrils over a shallow muzzle, and a firm mouth. Well-developed jaws imply great strength.

The medium length neck joins sloping shoulders, with a distinct throatlatch and deep, broad chest. The powerful, muscled forearm extends to the knee. The back is closecoupled, and full through the thigh, stifle, gaskin and down the hock. The rear quarters are broad, deep, and heavy.

Height ranges from 14.3 to 15.1 hands, with weight ranging from 1,100 to 1,300 pounds.

The AQHA recognizes sixteen colors, with sorrel being the most prominent. Other colors are bay, black, brown, buckskin, chestnut, dun, red dun, gray, grullo, palomino, perlino, cremello, and red, blue and bay roan. The official gray is what newcomers often call white, but there are no white American Quarter Horses.

Other Foundation Sires

The King Ranch continued as a leader, establishing a dynasty of champion cutting horses led by its stallions Mr. San Peppy and Peppy San Badger (also known as Little Peppy). Leo, a 1940 stallion sired by Joe Reed II (sired by Joe Reed), was bred by John W. House. Leo’s dam was Little Fanny, who was also sired by Joe Reed. Leo’s daughters produced fourteen champions. He died in 1967.

Three Bars, the most influential Thoroughbred in American Quarter Horse history, was foaled in 1940. The chestnut stallion passed on his excellent conformation, disposition and speed to 558 American Quarter Horse offspring. He figures prominently in the pedigree of virtually every champion. Since 1991, First Down Dash has been one of the leading racing sires, with his offspring earnings exceeding $64.3 million.

The Official Horse Breeds Standards Guide, Voyageur Press; First edition (October 2, 2009) by Fran Lynghaug.